When The Angels Fail To Fly
by Octavia Kendall
Summary: It all started with a scream. Then a gunshot, followed by shouting. He flinched, running toward the source. By then, it was too late. (PruAus)
1. Prologue

Austria tensed up. The bullet noise.

The army was going to fucking kill him if a soldier died on his watch. He heard the scream. Someone had been hit.

 _Shit,_ he thought, _we can't lose another soldier. Not while I'm the captain._

"Roderich!" He froze. "Roderich!"

 _Gilbert?_

ß-ß

"Will he survive?"

Austria watched closely as several medical corps doctors carefully removed several bullets and musket balls from Prussia's body. He grabbed Prussia's available hand.

"Don't die on me, Gilbert. You can't."

The non-sedated Prussian slowly opened his eyes and looked up at him. He smiled. "I'm here," he whispered in a scratchy voice.

"Don't die."

"I can't. Not with you alive."

Austria couldn't help but chuckle.

ß-ß

Prussia groaned. "They say I'll never be a soldier again. I can't. Not with all these injuries and bullet wounds."

Austria patted his shoulder. "You're my best friend, Gilbert."

Prussia chuckled before letting his face drop into a frown. "I want to go home."

Austria wrapped an arm around his friend's torso. "I'm quitting the army. It's not worth staying if you're not here to make me forget I'm risking my life."

Prussia chuckled again. "This is why we're friends."

 _This is why I saved your fucking life, Gilbert_.


	2. Chapter 1

Prussia leaned over as Austria cleaned the wounds on his back. The gunshot wounds had reopened and started bleeding out, and Austria was absorbing the blood with a damp rag. He was going to change the bandages, too, but he hadn't gotten to that part yet. Cleaning the blood was the first priority.

"Roderich..."

Austria shushed him softly, still cleaning the blood-soaked wounds. Prussia sighed, remaining in the same leaning-over position. Austria carefully ran his hands over the injuries on the top of his back, which had already stopped bleeding and were ready to be bandaged. Not being able to help himself, he leaned over and kissed one of the wounds.

Prussia looked back at him. "Did you just kiss me, Roderich?"

Austria shook his head. "No. Must've been when I leaned over and my hair touched your back. I took a shower this morning; my hair is still a little damp."

Prussia raised an eyebrow, but turned back from facing Austria to facing the wall, instead. Austria continued to soak up the blood as Prussia leaned over. They did this for at least two hours before Austria wrapped the bandages and allowed Prussia to borrow an old sweater to wear.

"Perfect fit," Prussia said. "I like the colour."

"It's periwinkle; a mix of gray and purple. It is a very nice colour, especially on you."

Prussia blushed slightly. He wasn't sure whether Austria had given him that comment as a friend (the way girls encourage their friends when they feel they don't look pretty) or in a romantic way. He just said, "Thanks," and walked to the spare bedroom that Austria had given him as a permanent one.

He laid down, his head on the mattress, before realizing that he was laying on a bare mattress. There were no sheets, no pillow, and not a single blanket. It was just a bare mattress in an empty room.

"Roderich!" He shouted.

Austria came in, his head, neck, and shoulders wrapped in a sheet, holding a pillow and a blanket in each arm. "Is something wrong?"

Prussia just stood up, taking every item Austria was carrying and putting it on its assigned place on the bed quickly. When he was done, it was obviously neat and clean (Austria had seen Prussia fold clothes before; he had never seen such beautiful handiwork in his life). Austria sighed.

"So, you needed exactly what I was trying to bring to you? You could've come to me instead of shouting; it would've spared my ears- and the neighbours'- a lot of pain."

Prussia grumbled. Austria was his best friend, but he could be a bit of a pain in the ass sometimes; did anyone know how much a pain the ass (whether figuratively or literally) actually hurt? Actual pain hurt like fuck, but people, you could get rid of just... like that.

But... Austria was his best friend. He couldn't flick him away like a speck of dust; he couldn't do that to him. He cared. The last time he did anything like that to a friend, they lost their friendship that they had already had for years.

They were no longer in contact, either. Prussia remembered them, but doubted that they even remembered his name by now. That's why Prussia was glad to still have Austria as a friend. He was trying not to fuck up this friendship.

"I'm sorry," he said under his breath.

Austria, who must've heard it, chuckled. "Hungry?"

Prussia nodded. "I like cream of wheat."

Austria nodded, as well, walking off and softly closing the door behind him. Prussia pulled the blanket over his body. He muttered something to himself, closing his eyes to at least rest them for a bit before Austria got back with his food.

Austria came back to find him passed out, anyway.

ß-ß

Prussia woke up softly with a yawn. He could hear a piano in the next room over; Austria must've been practicing in the living room, where he had put the piano. He stood, cracking his back, neck, and knuckles. He stretched before fully standing and walking out.

The second he walked into the living room, he froze. Every key Austria hit was amazing, and playing every one of those keys together created a beautiful composition that kept Prussia mesmerized. He couldn't move because he didn't want to ruin anything. Then, the music stopped at a beautiful ending, and Austria sighed. "I'll never be able to play it right."

"What are you talking about?! That was awesome!" Prussia shouted.

Austria looked back at him in horror. "Oh, God. Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God."

"What?"

"Nothing." Austria stood up, putting the stool under the grand piano and walking towards Prussia. "How are you feeling?"

"Alright. Why do you ask?"

Austria shook his head. "Those gunshot wounds in your back, Gilbert. Please don't forget them; they do have a serious consequence on the rest of your life. So many occupations you can't take up. So many things you can't do. You can't even do so much as lean over, because it reopens the wounds."

Prussia sighed. "I don't need a job, Roderich."

"Try saying that again when you run out of money. You'll be begging to get a job because you'll be broke as fuck."

Prussia chuckled a bit. "You do have a point, my friend."

"I always do, don't I?"

Prussia chuckled again, this time, louder, so Austria heard it without trying. "Yes. Yes, you do." He didn't even have any shame or regret in saying it; he felt and _knew_ it was true.

Austria hugged him tightly. "I knew you'd say that." He hung his hand slightly before coming back up and walking back into his bedroom. At least, Prussia assumed it to be his bedroom. It could've been a recreational room, or the bathroom, or whatever else Austria had in his house. But there was something else stuck on Prussia's mind.

 _Did he kiss the back of my neck?_


	3. Chapter 2

Austria was awoken in the middle of the night by a thud.

He was a light sleeper; working for years in the army made him wake up at the quietest sound. This was no exception. He rushed up; he was dressed in only sweatpants and he was also shirtless. He rushed down the stairs to find Prussia unconscious in the foyer.

"GILBERT!" He picked him up. "Don't. Don't do this to me." He brought him upstairs and laid him on his bed. Stroking his hair, he pulled Gilbert close to him and fell asleep.

ß-ß

Prussia woke up next to Austria.

He was being held close by him, enclosed in his grip. He looked... so cute without his glasses on. Or a shirt. While asleep. He smiled, adding a chuckle as he closed his eyes, leaning over and touching his mouth to Austria's. He slipped his tongue into the gap between the Austrian's lips and slipping it into the latter's mouth.

Still having his eyes closed, Prussia was unaware that Austria had already opened his eyes and suddenly realised that he was being kissed- on the lips- by the Prussian. He freaked out at first, but didn't stir Prussia, as he eventually closed his eyes and melted into the kiss. Realising that Prussia's tongue was inside of his mouth, he slipped his own into the other's to give him a French kiss.

They both slowly opened their eyes and pulled away from one another. Austria panicked, reaching over for his glasses. Once he put them on, Prussia chuckled. "You should invest in contact lenses," he whispered with a chuckle.

"Why?" He whispered back, smiling.

"You look adorable with your glasses, sure, but you look _even more_ adorable without your glasses. Maybe you could be like that every now and then, and still be able to see. Contacts."

Austria smiled. "Maybe I'll try that."

Both of them chuckled softly. They whispered sweet words and compliments to each other until they both started to cuddle and fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 3

"Did you ever hear the tale of the Jack and the Joker?" Austria asked one night.

Prussia looked up at him. "Never heard it, much less, heard of it."

Austria chuckled. "Would you like to?"

"Of course," Prussia said. "You're telling it, so it must be an interesting story."

Austria smiled.

ß-ß

 _There were once four kingdoms: Diamond, Club, Heart, and Spade. Each kingdom had a King, Queen, and a Jack (except for the Kingdom Diamond; they only had a King and a Jack). However, aside from the kingdoms were two Jokers, one of British decent and another of German._

 _Jokers did not belong to specific kingdoms; they were outcasts that were once part of one, but we're exiled for reasons unknown. Nobody but the kings of the kingdoms they were banished from knew the reason why, and it would forever stay that way._

 _One day, the Jokers were travelling to the Kingdom of Clubs to entertain the King, Ivan Braginsky, and his Jack, Roderich Edelstein. The second they arrived in the palace, they were treated as guests of honour and taken to the King and Jack's room, where they were to entertain._

 _The King pointed at the British joker with his sceptre. "What is your name?"_

 _"I am the Joker Peter Kirkland, your highness!" He did a bow._

 _He pointed his sceptre at the German one. "And what about you?"_

 _"My name is Gilbert Beilschmidt, your eminence." He did some form of a curtsey, but he was still bowing, so neither the King nor the Jack questioned him._

 _The King nodded, as did the Jack. Peter stopped bowing and brought himself upright, but Gilbert was still in his position of a half-curtsey. You see, he was staring at the Jack, Roderich Edelstein, and couldn't guide his eyes away, as he had already fallen in love with the man._

 _"Perform for us," the King said. "Show us what you can do."_

 _And off they went, dancing, performing card tricks, juggling, and even doing magic at times. The King had to admit, the taller Joker, the one with the red eyes and silver hair, wasn't focusing on his partner. He seemed to be focusing on something close to the King himself... his Jack, maybe?_

 _"One final trick!" Peter announced loudly. "Gilbert?!"_

 _The older Joker, however, did not move. His red eyes were staring into the Jack's violet orbs. They were both smiling, although the Joker's was faint and the Jack's was wide, his bright white teeth showing as he smiled._

 _The Jack chuckled. "No more tricks," he said quietly. "I don't want this one to leave. Gilbert Beilschmidt, stay with me. Stay with me and be mine."_

 _The Joker gladly accepted, running up the stairs to the Jack's throne, taking him into his arms, and carrying him bridal style. The Jack leaned up, kissing the Joker's lips. The Joker kissed back happily._

 _The End._

ß-ß

Prussia smiled, barely able to keep his eyes open. "You made that up, Roddy."

Austria nodded. "Only for you, my love." He ran his fingers through Prussia's thin, silver hair.

Prussia smiled, closing his eyes and falling asleep with his head on Austria's chest. As Prussia fell asleep, Austria smiled.


	5. Chapter 4

Austria stroked the top of Prussia's head softly as he leaned over. He came up quietly, instead reaching over to the left. Austria handed him a napkin so he could wipe his mouth with it, which he did.

"I want to go back," Prussia said quietly, standing up. "I want to fight. It's better than living with knowing what I've done."

"Gilbert?"

"I did something... awful, Roderich." He stuffed something into his boyfriend's pocket. "I'm going back. If I did, then I die with courage and determination and even bravery, but I'll never die with honour. Not after what I did."

Prussia walked off, but Austria just pulled the folded note out of his pocket and read it:

 _Roderich,_

 _You'll never forgive me after what I did. All you need to know is: broken glass._

 _Yours forever, Gilbert Raemond Beilschmidt_

Austria teared up. "Broken glass; no. Gilbert!"

But Prussia was already gone.


	6. Chapter 5

Austria spent quite a while crying after that. He couldn't stand that Prussia had done such a horrible thing and then left to fight in the army after he had **strictly** been told not to. Now what was Austria supposed to do?

He picked up his rifle.

ß-ß

"His name is Gilbert Raemond Beilschmidt; he had to have first joined this army almost five years ago. He was honourably discharged two months ago due to serious injuries and wants to be recruited again. Is he here?"

"I've told you almost one thousand times, Mr. Héderváry-"

"Edelstein."

"Mr. **Edelstein** ," he put heavy emphasis on the last name, "Gilbert Beilschmidt is not here."

"Until now," a familiar voice said, picking up a pen and signing his name on the sheet of paper to the left of Austria. "Hey, Roderich- Roderich?"

"You can't do this, Gilbert. You're going to die."

"If you feel that way, then join me. If either one of us dies, then we shoot ourself. That way, we can be with each other, no matter where we are."

Austria teared up. "Gilbert?"

"Yes, liebe?"

He paused. "That's the sweetest thing you've said to me... liebe."

"You speak German?"

"It's the national language of Austria."

Prussia chuckled, picking up Austria- bridal style, of course- and kissing him on the lips. Austria melted into the kiss softly, and the two began to kiss the way they did for the first time. When they softly touched lips and slipped their tongues into each other's mouths, slowly pulling away from each other and not wanting to do so.

"Let's go kick some ass," Prussia whispered.

ß-ß

Prussia chuckled as he looked over at Austria. "I can't believe it."

They were standing on the battle front, wearing their gear, rifles in hand. The snow was barrelling down, soon to become a blizzard. The impending battle, however, was not coming yet, as the opposing army had yet to arrive on the other side of the battlefield. So, Austria and Prussia were just standing next to each other, waiting for either one of them to possibly...

Die.

Whether quickly or slowly, neither of them knew. But they both had a feeling they were going to die.

"What can't you believe, Gil?"

"You're wearing contacts."

Austria was about to reach to adjust his glasses, but then he realised that he was being told of the exact opposite. He wasn't wearing his glasses. "It's easier for battle."

"You look so cute."

"Prußen..."

"I haven't been called that in years; do you even know what it means?"

"It's a term referring to the citizens of Prussia. It's German."

"I like Gilbert more."

"Gilly?"

"Fi-"

They both froze as the gunshot rang out.


	7. Chapter 6

The soldiers all ran and kept running. Everyone was shooting at each other, hoping for a clear shot. Some clever ones were building barricades and fortresses out of snow, hoping they could hide behind him and occasionally peek over to shoot. Prussia and Austria gasped and ducked as a bullet flew over them.

"HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE!" Austria and Prussia screamed in unison. They ran forwards, rapidly building a barricade and hiding behind it. They laid down on their backs right next to each other.

"This is it," Prussia whispered. "Ich liebe dich, Roderich."

Austria shook his head. "Broken glass. Explain."

"You wouldn't understand."

"Why did you shoot her? Why did you kill her?"

"I had to."

"Elizabeta didn't deserve the end you gave her."

"But don't you want me?"

Austria hesitated. "Does that even matter anymore? Do we even matter? I mean... we're both going to die. It's destiny."

"But remember, we'll always be with each other."

"You beautiful idiot. I'll never stop loving you, okay?"

"Okay." They both stood, jumping over their barricade and running forward, shooting bullets quickly and staying at each other's side.

"FOR HONOUR!" Austria screamed.

"FOR GLORY!" Prussia screamed.

"FOR LOVE!" They screamed in unison. Austria shot one more bullet before collapsing.

"Roderich!" Prussia slung him over his back while getting down on a single knee and shooting bullets. He stopped after a few minutes and looked around. "Roderich, wake up."

Austria groaned, lifting his head and looking over Prussia's. "Gilbert? Wha-"

"We're it, baby."

"What?"

"We're the only survivors."

"Those who love each other never die without having the other with them. And if one doesn't die... the other doesn't, either." They kissed on the lips. Prussia smiled, licking his lips before he spoke.

"Ich..."

"Liebe..."

" **Dich**."

 **THE END**


End file.
